Orenstein has gotten accustomed to adults assuming her daughter likes pink and princesses. For example, at Longs Drugs, the woman gives Orenstein’s daughter a pink balloon rather than letting her choose the color she wants, and Orenstein lets it slide. At the dentist, Orenstein is so fed up, when the dentist asks her daughter to “sit in the princess throne” so she can “sparkle her teeth,” she finally snaps (326). Her daughter, surprised by Orenstein’s reaction, wonders what is wrong with princesses. Orenstein then sets out to explore the possible answers to her daughter’s question.
In the poem, the speaker states the girlchild has “wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (4), showing that she already wants to alter her appearance. As children grow into young adults, they become aware of outside judgments; as the girlchild was made aware in the poem. “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (5-6). Girls are pressured into looking the way media portrays beauty. Unfortunately, outward appearances take on a more important role than other characteristics to teenage girls.
• “‘Toddlers & Tiaras’: TLC Sinks to a New Low.” Examiner.com. 25 Jan. 2009. 2 June 2009 This source questions the beliefs of beauty pageants for young children and the reality television show Toddlers & Tiaras. Children are forced that the importance of ideal beauty are in beauty pageant. Young girls are becoming sexually exploited to layers of makeup.
After being teased mercilessly, Elsie concocted a plan to fool the adults. 'Elsie got tired of the joking and one night suggested to me that she would copy the dancing figures of fairies from one of my most precious possessions, my Princess Mary's Gift book... 'That will shake them!' she said. 'They'll have to stop making fun of us then.'' The next time that the two girls were teased by their parents, Elsie challenged her father, telling him that if he lent them his camera, a Midg quarter plate, the two girls would try to take a photograph of one of the fairies.
Cinderella fantasizes about going to the ball, but her step mother demands that she clean the entire house, “[a] girl like you is unfit to attend the ball, the chores best be finished when we get back” (Cinderella, 9). Her step-sisters are similarly in favour of beautiful Cinderella not attending the party, “[w]hen Cinderella's step sisters got the invitation, they got very nervous" (Cinderella, 8), they want all of the Prince’s attention for themselves. When Cinderella is given the opportunity to attend the ball, she immediately shirks her duties and begins travelling to the event. Cinderella goes against the expectations of the bourgeoisie and creates her own path, even though it is risky to disobey someone with greater power. Her step-sisters have great desire to attain Prince Charming's heart.
Gretchen and Karen are Regina’s faithful minions who will do whatever it takes to stay in her good graces. They sabotage Cady’s Halloween party; bleach Janis’ hair and destroying the infamous burn book. By going through all Regina’s tasks it gives them dominion over other girls in their school. Yearning for Octavia’s luscious locks, Arnetta possesses power over the other Brownies since Octavia and Arnetta are friends. Octavia’s mane makes her envied because it opens the door for her to become a part of the white girl’s world that is televised.
How is she supportive when she tells her child this one sided statement of winning to whatever means possible. Adding to this atrocity; she outfitted her daughter, then 4 years old, with faux breasts and padding for her derriere to more convincingly portray the curvaceous Dolly Parton. When I read about it, this display of pageantry is immoral and down-right disgusting. I’m thinking this was her way of reasoning “do what it takes.” Most stage mother’s claim that their child wanted to enter the
The instructor of the Beauty School fixes her hair but she now looks like a girl with Peter Pan hair. Only a mother with atrocious dreams for her daughter will blame a little girl for the beautician messing up the daughter's hair, as if the daughter has any control over the situation. After the Shirley Temple does not work out as well as planned, her mother decides for her to memorize all the capitals; when Jing-Mei cannot do that her mother wants her to multiply numbers in her
Then the author uses the word “magic” to describe puberty as if it is something spectacular. Once puberty occurs the girl is accused of having a “great big nose and fat legs” which are looked down at in modern society. Even though she is also acknowledged as “healthy” and “tested intelligent” which is something most try and fail to achieve she goes around “apologizing” for her looks. This plainly demonstrates negative peer pressure since all she can focus on is the negative aspects of her life and no matter how she good she is in everything else “everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs”. Some advised her to “play coy” a trait many girls go by while others told her to be “hearty”, fit in with the boys, neither of these were her.
Would you want your sister looking like this? What about you, would you have liked to be dressed like this at that age? Good morning ladies and gentlemen and Mrs Grange. I’m here to talk to you about children in beauty pageants and how they should not participate. These beauty pageants encourage dieting among kids.